Personal recreational vehicles, such as snowmobiles and ATV's, are used by millions of people for sport and fun. To illustrate, snowmobiling is a sport enjoyed by individuals of all ages and walks of life. Although interest in snowmobiling has traditionally been considerable, in recent years the sport has seen its popularity soar. For example, according to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, about 82,000 snowmobiles were sold in the United States in 1992. By 1997, that number topped 170,000 units.
Similarly, the number of Americans driving off-road vehicles such as ATV's increased from 19.4 million in 1983 to 27.9 million in 1995. The increase in use of personal recreational vehicles is partly due to technological advancements of the equipment, advances that have made use safer and easier for persons of differing levels of ability.
For example, snowmobiles have become more comfortable, responsive and maneuverable, resulting in a more pleasing and exciting riding experience for the driver. One advancement of particular importance is the improvement in the maneuverability and stability of snowmobiles. As these characteristics have advanced, a greater number of individuals have been drawn to the sport. The industry has kept pace with the growth in the sport by expanding the number of models available across a range of prices. ATVs have seen similar types of changes and improvements.
The growing popularity of personal recreational vehicles puts an increased demand on manufacturers to reduce cost of the vehicles. One way manufacturers can reduce cost is to standardize components, both within and across a product line. Standardization reduces manufacturing cycle time as well as cost.
All personal recreational vehicles include some type of power distribution system for routing and control of power and signals throughout the vehicle. The power distribution system usually includes a fuse box, with individual fuses blowing when the fuse rated power is exceeded. Other components such as diodes and relays are housed in other locations.
For the reasons stated, it is desirable to devise a means by which the power distribution module can be easily standardized for manufacturing. Additionally, it is also desirable to have a power distribution module that includes components other than fuses.